2-up - ETH Zürich

L.F. Richardson über seine
Central Forecast-Factory for the Whole Globe
“Imagine a large hall like a theatre, except that the circles and galleries go right round
through the space usually occupied by the stage. The walls of this chamber are painted
to form a map of the globe. The ceiling represents the north polar regions, England
is in the gallery, the tropics in the upper circle, Australia on the dress circle and the
Antarctic in the pit. A myriad computers are at work upon the weather of the part of
the map where each sits, but each computer attends only to one equation or part of an
equation. The work of each region is coordinated by an official of higher rank. Numerous
little ‘night signs’ display the instantaneous values so that neighboring computers can
read them. Each number is thus displayed in three adjacent zones so as to maintain
communication to the North and South on the map. From the floor of the pit a tall pillar
rises to half the height of the hall. It carries a large pulpit on its top. In this sits the
maninchargeofthewholetheatre;heissurroundedbyseveralassistantsandmessengers.
One of his duties is to maintain a uniform speed of progress in all parts of the
globe. In this respect he is like the conductor of an orchestra in which the instruments
are slide-rules and calculating machines. But instead of waving a baton he turns a
beam of rosy light upon any region that is running ahead of the rest, and a beam of
blue light upon those who are behindhand.
Four senior clerks in the central pulpit are collecting the future weather as fast as it is
being computed, and dispatching it by pneumatic carrier to a quiet room. There it will
be coded and telephoned to the radio transmitting station.”
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